Hopes Hope
by Myrddin 'Le Fay' Ignis Magus
Summary: I was raised by Challenge! Hagrid, thought not very bright realised that he should not have let Dumbledore leave Hope Potter! He rushed back & took her to an ex-medi-wizard friend from his school days: Florean Fortescue now running his family Ice-cream shop, and manages to remove her scar. With a 'father', & 'Uncle' Hagrid how can things get any better? "Her tutors are crazy?"


**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Harry Potter_

**This is the I was raised by challenge by **thegenuineimitation

**Hopes Hope**

**Chapter 1: Prologue **

Rubeus Hagrid… a giant, a brute, an idiot. These are words he's heard spoken about him. He has even heard bad things said about him by some of his friends. Sure, he knows they don't realize his ears are superior to most, but…

He sighed as he scratched his shaggy beard from where he sat on his large motor cycle in the shadows of a lit street. This street only half an hour before had been darker, and had the Great Professor, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore on it with his deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

Dumbledore had been waiting for him to bring a child with him, a newly orphaned child to leave for… well, he's not sure they could be called family. After all, Lily Potter didn't say much good about them any more. He knew Lily had loved her sister once upon a time, but Petunia's jealousy just kept coming on stronger and Lily couldn't be the saint forever.

Now, Rubeus might not be the brightest candle, but he's not completely stupid. He can see this is wrong. The child had just done the impossible, survived the impossible. Yet now it had been dumped on a doorstep of people he feels wont look after it. The way McGonagall tried to argue against leaving the child here… with these people!

Rubeus will trust McGonagall's instincts over Dumbledore's any day. The old Headmaster might be right about a lot of things but… how can he be right about this. McGonagall is normally one of the first to agree with him, so when she speaks up and tries to argue against him then you know he's doing something wrong, even though deep down you knew so before she spoke out.

Hagrid had always had a hard time speaking out against Dumbledore. He can be quite intimidating, and it can be hard to really get angry with him. However, this is the child of a dear friend of his and he can't bring himself to leave like Dumbledore wanted.

Well he had left for a short while at first trusting that the old man has the baby's best interests, but after a hard think about it he returned. The child laid curled up in some blankets fast a sleep on the doorstep to a home where it won't get the love and attention it deserves. It's a hero to a whole people, and won't even get a normal childhood that all little witches and wizards that are born in their world deserve.

He found himself unsure of what he could possibly do… where could he turn for help? If he were to take the little tike and turn up on McGonagall's doorstep would she go straight to Dumbledore? He's not sure, but he figured she would.

He had also noted that Dumbledore hadn't used any spells on the kid, after all the tike had been hit by a killing curse. He should have at least gotten some tests done or something, right?

He squinted his eyes to get a better look and realized the child is actually shivering. It hadn't occurred to him until then that it's the begging of winter and the child only has on an all-in-one with a simple blanket and Dumbledore wisely left without even a warming charm.

However, it was most worrying moments later that the child stirred and was certainly awake now whimpering as it managed to untangle itself from the white blanket and wobbly to her feet just wearing some cute pink footsy PJ's and her little green eyes looked around in panic. Her deep blood red hair was hanging over her forehead and down to the bottom of her neck, tears prickling at her eyes.

Hagrid hadn't realized he had left the bike until he was standing over the fifteen month old tot. She looked up at him surprised before relaxing and raising her arms to him with a little smile on her little pink lips and he pulled her up into the safety of his arms and grabbed her blanket and the letter Dumbledore left with her.

He sighed in relief that he did return as she could have wondered off and gotten run down by a car, or worse, kidnapped by some sicko, or even a Death Eater out for revenge. Hagrid didn't know where he could take her to be safe as she sucked on her left thumb comfortable in his arms.

"H-Hagwid!" she suddenly spoke looking up at him with bubbly eyes. "Where… mommy and daddy?" she asked him, which caused him to grimace. She had just lost her family and then was dumped on a door step to freeze to death, wander off, or possibly be mistreated for years at the hands of muggles. He has nothing against muggles. He quite likes the conveniences they've came up with that make his life without legally being able to perform magic so much better.

"We'll talk about that later, Tyke!" he said in a hushed voice that by normal standards wasn't very hush at all. "Let's get you some place warm until the morning, and then I'll think of something to do, okay?"

"Whoa-K," she agreed smiling she snuggled up to him as he used his coat and her blanket to keep her warm. She just closed her eyes and continued on sucking her thumb. He had to admire how smart she is, but right now he couldn't tell her about what happened to her parents, she just wouldn't understand.

It was with one last glance at the neighborhood before he climbed back onto the bike, revving it up and shooting off into the sky and soon out of sight. It was hectic over some areas as Wizards and Witches celebrated, but thinking on that… they're just celebrating a child losing her parents.

He was flying over London, half contemplating the cleverness of taking her to get a check up at St. Mungoes Magical Hospital. Though, he thought better of that. It would be safer to take her to a muggle hospital, but he was unsure whether they would find anything wrong with her when they check her over and whatever else they do.

However, it was when he was flying over Diagon Alley that he remembered an old friend he used to go to school with. He had retired as a healer a year or so back after Death Eaters killed his parents and decided to run the family ice cream shop as he had seen a lot with all of the Death Eaters victims it had made him seem older than his years sometimes and took the chance with his parents murder to leave the profession of blood and horror to younger men with stronger stomachs.

Florean Fortescue had always been a good man with a talent for medical spells, and spells of precision with a want to help people so he added that up to being a healer. He was a good one too, but going into that field while there's a war going on must have been tough on him. Then his parent's murder by Death Eaters put on top of that forced him to retire for his own sanity. Anyway, his Ice-cream Parlor is the best in the UK as far as Hagrid knows, or is concerned.

Hagrid only had a few moments to decide whether he can really trust his old friend to not run off to Dumbledore. But thinking about that Florean really wasn't much of a Dumbledore supporter. He agreed that the Death Eaters should be stopped of course, but he didn't agree with Dumbledore's light handed methods. He believed if your enemy is going to kick you in between the legs that you should be allowed to strike that blow first. His words, not Hagrids. He had seen so much pain and lose at the hospital that by some part even Hagrid knew it was Dumbledore's lack of response.

So he landed his bike quickly in the small closed off yard behind the ice cream shop before shutting out the engine. The girl was still fast a sleep as he climbed off the bike and the back door was wrenched open by a black haired man, slimmer than Hagrid could ever be with long black hair neatly tied back and cold black eyes wearing a plain white robe, his wand out and pointed at his unexpected 'visitor'.

He relaxed as he saw who it is and gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Hagrid," he said with a small huff of breath. "It is a sad night when our world celebrates so much death, and an innocent child's loss. It is true?" he asked the last.

"Yes," he replied with a sad nod. "James and Lily fought, but only…" he held back a sniffle of sadness as Florean moved aside.

"Come in, I'll get us a drink," he said still not having really noticed the child. Hagrid nodded and entered. He followed his old school friend up a set of stairs that let out into a large reception with odd things all over, moving pictures of family and friends. It held two large squishy leather couches for which having to walk in ducked because of his size and the ceiling being a few inches too low he took the three seater to himself while Florean entered a separate room to return moments later with two glasses with brown liquid in it, though Hagrid's glass was much bigger than his.

"Hagrid, is that a sleeping kid?" Florean asked after a few minutes of silent sipping as he saw Hagrid adjust her subconsciously.

"Oh, right…" he said chuckling nervously. "Meet Hope Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived!" he said proudly.

Florean grimaced and had to force himself not to smack his old friend. "Damn, Hagrid!" he hissed through his teeth not to wake the child. "Tell me you didn't kidnap the Girl-Who-Lived…" he pleaded but it was written clearly in Hagrids expression he did. "Damn, Rubeus," he continued without waiting for the answer he already knew. "When they find out about her going missing…"

"I don't think they will," he was quick to interrupt his friend. "Dumbledore just dumped her on her muggle aunts' door step in the middle of the night with just a letter. I couldn't just leave her out in the cold. It's a good job too because she woke up. Anything could have happened to her. He didn't even get her seen too by a medi-wizard. She got a scar right on her forehead from where it hit. Lily and James were always so good to me. After a bit of thinking I knew that I couldn't let Dumbledore's excuse of it's for the best, everyone will know her name, to keep her in the dark with people I know were never approved to look after her just because they're family. Little Hope's life would have been a nightmare and I don't want to suffer Lily's and James' wrath when I go."

Florean sighed rubbing his eyes as he nodded along in agreement. It was the right thing to do by Hope even if in the end Dumbledore is angry if, or more like when he finds out about. "OK… you're right Rubeus. That was not responsible of a teacher and a governing head. There's got to be a reason… Dumbledore normally has a reason for messed up crap like this so let's see the letter first before I run some tests on Hope."

"OK, here it is," he said pulling it out and handing it over.

Florean looked it over and made a quick scan of it. "No trace of any magic to male sure the right person read it and the right person only. Hmm… not even a simple alert to show it's been read. How unusual of Dumbledore to forget security. I guess Voldemort's fall affected his judgment in this matter."

He then shrugged before breaking the seal and pulling out a folded sheet of parchment before reading it. However, the more he read the wider his eyes got. His mouth had open before his eyes narrowed in anger.

"T-this letter…" he shook his head in disgust before tossing it for Hagrid to read. "Is that the letter of a man that should have your respect, let alone trust? Read between the lines Hagrid or you won't get most of what's… hidden in plain sight."

Hagrid looked pale as he finished the letter, a lot of the things about it were actually easy to see, and glaringly obvious, but others, he shivered. "But… but this… says in a weird way that-that Dumbledore wants Hope down trodden. It… even I can tell he's saying no one will be watching what they do to her, as long as she doesn't die no one will care until her Hogwarts letter. A-and he'll be paying them Hope's money to take her."

"I noticed," Florean answered downing the rest of his drink. "I will not let this child be used as a sacrificial lamb!" he hissed. "And that old bastard saying within the next month he'll have her contracted to hell knows who for her own safety, what a selfish moron. If I know Lily well enough I doubt her will would have ever gave any power to Dumbledore. James I can't be too sure about. First thing tomorrow I'm taking her to Gringotts as a war orphan and adopting her into my family. My family may not be as old as the likes of Dumbledore, or Malfoy, but we are still old enough to have respect, but let's get Hope seen too."

He stood up and carefully scooped the sleeping child from Hagrid and carefully laid her on the couch he vacated before performing sweep after sweep with his wand while Hagrid watched worriedly on the edge of his seat.

He frowned before summoning a small case with some potions. "Hagrid whatever the deal is with this scar it needs removing now. Its some kind of parasitic cancer that's even as we speak is trying to dig into her skull. If it does that we might never get rid of it and it will eventually kill her. I think, but can't be curtain that it's a fragment of Voldemort, and it has to go, now.

"I've already used some numbing charms and charmed her to sleep," he said as Hagrid watched in horror as the ex-medi-wizard forced Hope to drink a potion before stroking her hair from her forehead. "Hagrid, this is going to be a little bloody, but that potion was to keep as much of her blood from spilling if the cut is localized and not too large so if you're feeling squeamish I wouldn't watch, OK?"

"I-I'll be fine. I can't just leave her," he replied with a quiver in his voice.

Florean nodded and quickly began. Hagrid watched most of it, but it was really the wailing and black ooze coming from the open wound that made him feel sick. However, Florean is really good at his old profession and had the girl bandaged up and drinking a regeneration potion in near no time… well it took just over an hour.

"Well, we shouldn't have to worry about a scar giving us away," Florean said tiredly as he took a sip of the tea he just made while watching over the little girl. "That should heal over perfectly, and as far as the world will know when she's eligible for Hogwarts is the Girl-Who-Lived went missing after being dumped on a doorstep in November by Albus Dumbledore! Though, everyone will probably conveniently forget that part."

Hagrid hung his head sadly. "So… you'll really look after her?" he asked hopeful.

Florean smiled and nodded. "Of course… I think… she was named right. She has hope yet, and here she can grow up without fame or fortune to understand that she has potential as more than Dumbledore's sacrifice. I'll have to get her private lessons to get the edge over The Order and not forgetting the Ministry. Hmm… I'm sure I can find some brilliant tutors, some old friends perhaps. I wonder whether Mad-Eye would consent to teach her to fight when she's old enough, because she may be left with little choice with Dumbledore gunning for her, and the potential of Voldemort's return.

"You think he will?" Hagrid asked in worry.

Florean shrugged. "Dumbledore certainly thinks so, so until I know otherwise she must learn all she can… or all she wants. Given the opportunity I understand children love to learn new things."

Hagrid chuckled. "Yea… I guess. I think I should probably leave now though. If Dumbledore doesn't see me soon he might think something."

Florean nodded his head in agreement and lead Hagrid out where he left on the large flying bike before returning to the lounge with a sigh as he looked to the innocent young girl in fascination. Her destiny has thus far been cruel. To lose her parents so soon that she will doubtfully remember them in the coming years.

_**To Be Continued…**_


End file.
